LITERARY LAGNIAPPE
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS
SPRING 2006
Issue # 34
The word “lagniappe” (pronounced ‘lan yap’) is a common term used in Louisiana. It means “a little something extra.” The literary community of the University of New Orleans offers our readers a literary lagniappe–reviews of recently published children’s books. Within categories, books are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.
NOVELS
Whittington by Alan Armstrong. Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Random House. $14.95. Ages 8-12.
A Newbery Honor book, Whittington is a charming story of a cat that comes to live in the barn of Bernie, his wife Marion, and their orphaned grandchildren Ben and Emma. Bernie’s barn is home to the town’s misfit animals, and Whittington fits in with them nicely. The barn’s mother duck, Lady, decides that the group needs to learn a thing or two. So, through barnyard story time Whittington tells the tale of his ancestor Dick Whittington’s cat, and the trials and travels of Dick. Back in the barnyard, the animals and Emma help Ben to tackle his dyslexia through daily exercises and with plenty of moral support.
The story weaves back and forth from the present to the time of the plague in England and provides a look into history through the eyes of a strong-willed boy and his loving cat. Readers learn a bit about love and courage through these animals that many have deemed unworthy. All in all, a pleasant read. –Dawn Murden
The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. Simon & Schuster. $15.95. Ages 8 -12.
“The earth kept turning, and every time it did, December 22 got one day closer…” When popular eleven-year-old Hart Evans fires a couple of rubber bands to liven up chorus class, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Before he can stop it, the class elects him director of the upcoming sixth grade holiday concert, and the teacher, Mr. Meinert, has no intention of reclaiming the responsibility. As production day nears, both the teacher and the student learn a great deal—about school, about life, and about their own powers to influence others and to make things happen.
The Last Holiday Concert is an excellent novel for young readers. It allows children to view schooling from two perspectives (the child and the teacher), and leads students to realize that teachers are, in fact, human. Clements’s characters are amusing and authentic, and anyone who attended public school in the last fifty years can relate to the setting and situation. Unavoidably, the concert comes to hilarious fruition, followed by the novel’s satisfying (though bittersweet) ending. I highly recommend this book for readers who have enjoyed Clements’s other novels, or for any student who enjoys stories about school kids successfully doing more than they thought they could. —Stephanie R. Gullage
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. Candlwick Press. $18.99. Ages 8-12.
This is a stunningly written tale of a vain and proud china rabbit named Edward Tulane, who is loved wholeheartedly by a little girl named Abilene. The self-absorbed rabbit, who is indifferent toward Abilene, ends up meeting a terrible fate aboard a cruise ship and is separated from her. He goes on an extraordinary journey living with a fisherman and his wife, a hobo and his dog, and a young girl who is ill. He becomes a “girl” and a scarecrow; he spends time underwater, in a dump, and on a train. Along the way he learns to love and at the end of the journey Edward is transformed. Ibatoulline’s detailed sepia tone illustrations begin each chapter and give a preview of the events of the chapter. Interspersed throughout the novel are stunning color scenes that are delicate and detailed and just lovely. DiCamillo has written a poignant story about love, loss, self-sacrifice and what is really important in life–a touching story presented in a beautiful way. –Anna Lincoln
The Sloppy Copy Slipup by Dyanne Disalvo. Holiday House. $15.95. Ages 7-12.
The Sloppy Copy Slip-up is a hilarious tale about fourth grader Brian Higman, also known as “Big Hig,” Brian does not have his sloppy copy writing assignment ready to turn in, and his teacher, Miss Fromme, is not one to listen to excuses. Brian is left with only one solution: use his storytelling techniques to tell the truth. Brian is forced to tell his classmates, his teacher, and the school principal about his wild and zany weekend of chaos including his singing little brother, his older brother’s rock band and a missing sock full of money. This is definitely one you will have to read to believe.-Christine Berry
Bang! By Sharon Flake. Jump at the Sun. $16.99. Young adult.
The sounds of gunshots of random shootings are frequent in Mann’s neighborhood. There are so many shootings that Mann and his best friends are keeping a tally. Each member of Mann’s family struggles to cope with the death individually; no one really understands each other’s grief. When the father uses an old African tradition to teach his son Mann and his best friend survival skills, the young pair journey throughout the city, naïve and unadvised, searching their way back home. Flake reminds readers of the difficult times for children and their families even when the family, seemingly, has a secure two-parent household environment. She ably reflects the reality of inner cities. There are no easy answers and no right way of coping with death within a family or within a community. Flake gives readers the story of one family’s struggle to remain a family. –Clemonce Mary Turner Vincent
Graven Images by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick Press. $16.99. Ages 10-up.
Paul Fleischman’s 1983 Newbery Honor book, Graven Images, has been re-released this year with new illustrations. Graven Images is a collection of three stories, each including a statue of some kind. The first story, “The Binnacle Boy,” is a story of a statue that holds the secret to the deaths of a ship’s entire crew. Villagers begin to confide their own secrets to the statue. A deaf girl with the ability to read lips discovers the identity of the murderer in this calamitous tale. “Saint Crispin’s Follower,” the second story, is a comedy of errors. A shoemaker’s apprentice decides to follow the advice of a weather vane in the likeness of his patron saint. He feels that Saint Crispin will point him in the right direction in the matters of love. The story ends happily despite all the misfortunes he encounters. The last tale is the darkest. “The Man of Influence” is about a sculptor, running short on patrons, who meets a ghost who would like his image made into marble. The artist agrees to create the statue with the assurance that the ghost was a person of influence before he died. After the statue is completed, the true nature of the ghost’s former identity is discovered.
In an afterword the author describes the sound and style of this work as “a mix of Greek myths and Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe and Dylan Thomas.” Fleischman has blended the styles of these authors to create an intriguing read.–Anna Lincoln
Sometimey Friend by Pansie Hart Ford. Carolrhoda Books. $15.95. Ages 9 –12.
Sylvia Freeman, an eleven-year-old girl is preparing to begin fifth grade at a new school. Sylvia is struggling because her mother who is biologically her aunt has gone out of town, and Sylvia is to stay with her 100-year-old grandmother who is also her best friend. But, Sylvia is worried about making new friends in her new school, which does turn out to be a challenge. Her best friend who was supposed to help her through her problems becomes the biggest problem. Sylvia goes through a learning process in which she discovers that friends are essential and they can be anyone and any age.
Ford captures one of middle school children’s biggest problems: making friends. Sylvia learns that good friends are hard to come by, but when they do she shouldn’t let them slip through her fingers. This books teaches many lessons on friendship to pre- teens which they will value as they face similar situations. Pansie Ford uses description to paint a clear image of what is happening at each point in the story. Felicia Marshall has created pictures that bring life to each character enabling the reader to visualize the characters and their personalities. This is an easy read, and I would highly recommend this book to a child nine and above. - Courtney Hebert
Surrender by Sonya Hartnett. Candlewick Press. $16.99. Ages 14 up.
Sonya Hartnett provides a thought-provoking, dark story of suffering, heartache, pain, and psychological twists in Surrender. The novel begins with Gabriel, a twenty-year-old, on his death bed, reflecting on the life he has led in their small town in Australia. With a weaving back and forth of past and present, the book shares all the pain that Gabriel has endured. Chapters also alternate in first person and third person through Finnigan, whom Gabriel meets when he is seven years old. What readers don’t know is whether or not Finnigan is real or just a manifestation of the suffering that Gabriel, or Anwell as is his given name, has undergone. Gabriel and Finnigan share a dog, Surrender. Surrender becomes a foundation for Gabriel and things become drastic when Surrender becomes an issue that causes a turning point. The story contains much drama with arson, an accidental death, stakeouts, and possible patricide. Hartnett uses beautiful imagery, challenging material, and enchanting metaphors to engage the readers in her deep, rich novel and to draw the reader into the mind of the tormented child. –Dawn Murden
Flushby Carl Hiaasen. Random House. $15.95. Ages 10-13.
Hiaasen continues the theme of Hoot with this environmental story set in the Florida Keys. The protected waters are being filled with sewerage from a local casino boat, only no one can prove it. In order to protest the illegal dumping, Paine Underwood sinks the boat. However, Paine lands in jail, and the casino is up and running the very next night. With his father refusing bail and talking to reporters, and his mother threatening divorce, Noah Underwood ends up the unlikely hero of the story. Noah and his sister Abbey are determined to save their parents’ marriage and prove their father is right about the Coral Queen casino boat. With the help of Hiaasen’s offbeat characters, they do just that. There is the greedy ex-employee Lice Peking who will testify for a price, his tough-as-nails girlfriend Shelly whose heart is bigger than her biceps, and a mysterious pirate who always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Hiaasen delivers his message about protecting our earth without being preachy or pushy. His humor-filled tension scenes made for enjoyable reading. Lori Sykes
The Serious Kiss by Mary Hogan. Harper Collins Publishers. $16.89. Ages 12 and up.
To say the least, Libby has worries. School is a grind—of course ninth grade always is—but her home life is worse. With an alcoholic father, an overeating mother, and two annoying brothers, it’s no wonder she’s “a knotted mass of anxiety, a walking cold sweat.” These are not the things that concern Libby most, however. Just when the school situation begins to improve, she learns that her family is moving. She must leave her familiar surroundings and make new friends, including a grandmother she thought was dead. In the course of the story, Libby learns that change can be good, and that things are not always as they seem.
The Serious Kiss is a coming-of-age novel in which a normal teen must deal with very real problems, both at home and at school. The author presents an apt handling of everyday teenage concerns such as peer pressure and self-image. Equally important is Hogan’s truthful handling of a more grave concern: Libby’s father’s alcoholism has irreversible effects on his family, and Libby suffers greatly because of it. Mary Hogan’s novel teaches readers two important lessons: first, sometimes, things don’t go according to plan. Second, just because life is not what we want it to be, that doesn’t necessarily mean there can’t be a happy ending. –Stephanie R. Gullage
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester. Hyperion Books for Children.15.99. Ages 9-12.
Day of Tears uses the lives of the people that were affected by the largest slave auction in history to reconstruct for the reader the events that transpired that weekend. While many characters are used to recreate the story, the book mainly focuses on a slave girl named Emma. Emma and her family are owned by Pierce Butler, a very wealthy slave owner that has acquired a great deal of gambling debt. In order to pay off these debts, Pierce chooses to auction off his largest holding: his slaves. The auction had become, to many of the people that were involved, the most pivotal event in their lives.
I really enjoyed reading this book because of the dialog format that Julius Lester used. The chapters were often centered on one character, and together, the characters and their stories created a vivid picture of the auction. While the auction was very real, some of the characters and their lives are fictional. The author’s notes at the end of the text make it clear that Mr. Lester did a great deal of research to preserve the authenticity of the people and the event. Lester also gives the characters—even the slaveholding Butler—a great deal of complexity that makes the reader empathize with each of them. This book would be a great teaching tool to educate students about this very dark period in our nation’s history. –Sarah Lemaire
Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine. Viking. $15.99. Ages 10-13.
Ellen Levine has created a believable, well-liked character with intelligence beyond her years. Jamie Morse, thirteen years old, faces the typical teenage challenge of wanting to be part of the in-crowd. To do this, she must lie. Growing up in the 1950s during the time of the “red scare,” she is forced to keep family secrets. At times, Jamie resents this and questions her parents’ political rationales. Things begin to change when she finally becomes a writer for the school newspaper. Her inner strengths and weaknesses are tested. Can telling the truth free her or imprison her? What about those she cares so deeply for? Caught in the midst of an adult world, Jamie quickly finds out that “yesterday is always today.”
Sticking true to the traits of what makes a good book for young readers, Ellen Levine includes a special note. She explains that although Jamie is a fictional character, the era in which she grew was a fearful period for many. In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy’s tactics caused an uproar for many Americans. Through this novel, youthful readers cam make parallels to their present lives while becoming aware of this historical time. There are discussions of First Amendment Rights and a question of democracy. Additionally, Levine admirably includes a lengthy list of suggested readings which authenticate the facts set out in this absorbing fictional story.Myra Mitchell
Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killerby J. T. Petty. Illustrated by Will Davis. Simon & Schuster. $9.95. Ages 8-12.
Clemency Pogue is attacked by a wicked fairy and remembers the lesson learned from the story of Peter Pan: “I don’t believe in fairies.” Only when the phrase doesn’t work the first time, she continues to shout the phrase until the fairy dies. With the help of a hobgoblin, it is not her duty to set the world right again. Cleverly written and humorous, this page-turner will keep readers on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next.–Angela Shafer Collins
No Right Turnby Terry Trueman. HarperTempest. $15.99. Ages 13 up.
With an explosive start by the Michael Printz Honor winner (Stuck in Neutral), No Right Turn hooks the reader instantly. Jordan finds his dad’s body after he committed suicide. The suicide scene is well described and realistic to the reader. The book takes the reader through the struggles Jordan and his mother must face after his father’s death. Another complication arises when Jordan takes Don’s corvette without permission. He finally gets busted after speeding. Reclaiming his mom’s, girlfriend’s, and Don’s trust requires dealing with his bottled emotions about his father’s suicide. This compelling read about the hardships Jordan faces will resonate with today’s teens. –Angela Shafer Collins
PICTURE BOOKS
The Goldminer’s Daughter- A Melodramatic Fairy Tale by Jackie Hopkins. Illustrated by Jon Goodell. Peachtree Publishers $15.95. Ages 6-10.